Cycle Rides in West Midlands

Can anyone recommend any good cycle routes in the West
Midlands/Birmingham area suitable for a beginner (I currently manage
5-10 miles a day). I would ideally like a circular route so can park the
car and ride from and back to it. Would be ok to go off road along tow
paths etc. maybe with some suitable stops for refreshments on the way.

Many thanks

Marc

In article ,
Marc Jennings wrote:
Can anyone recommend any good cycle routes in the West
Midlands/Birmingham area suitable for a beginner (I currently manage
5-10 miles a day). I would ideally like a circular route so can park the
car and ride from and back to it. Would be ok to go off road along tow
paths etc. maybe with some suitable stops for refreshments on the way.

Start from Brindley Place. Go down Farmer's Bridge locks to Aston
Junction, down Aston locks and out along the Birmingham and Fazely to
Salford Junction, hard left and back in along the Warwick and Birmingham
Junction to Bordesley Junction, right along the Digbeth branch, through
Ashtead locks and tunnel back to Aston Junction, then back up Farmer's
Bridge. About five miles.

Currently the towpath of the W&BJ is being resurfaced at one point (or
at least it was on Sunday morning), so you need to peel off onto the
roads around Adderley Park for half a mile and drop back onto the canal.
I'm currently in a conference room in Menlo Park, so don't have a
Birmingham A-Z to hand but I could look the roadnames up if you were
interested.

ian

Marc Jennings wrote:
Can anyone recommend any good cycle routes in the West
Midlands/Birmingham area suitable for a beginner (I currently manage
5-10 miles a day). I would ideally like a circular route so can park
the car and ride from and back to it. Would be ok to go off road
along tow paths etc. maybe with some suitable stops for refreshments
on the way.

Pop into Waterstones. The one by the Rotunda, not the one by New St Station
ramp. Ignore the glass lift at the front of the building. Take the little
lift that's a little further in on the right. Go to the third floor. There
is a small bookshelf right next to the lift on the third floor. Lots of
cycling guides there including "Cycle routes around Birmingham". Looks like
just the thing you need.

Now then Selway, why couldn't _you_ tell him that? ;-)

--
Cheerful Peddling
John Mallard

On Fri, 27 Feb 2004 22:20:24 -0000, "John Mallard" not_me@all wrote:

Marc Jennings wrote:
Can anyone recommend any good cycle routes in the West
Midlands/Birmingham area suitable for a beginner (I currently manage
5-10 miles a day). I would ideally like a circular route so can park
the car and ride from and back to it. Would be ok to go off road
along tow paths etc. maybe with some suitable stops for refreshments
on the way.

Pop into Waterstones. The one by the Rotunda, not the one by New St Station
ramp. Ignore the glass lift at the front of the building. Take the little
lift that's a little further in on the right. Go to the third floor. There
is a small bookshelf right next to the lift on the third floor. Lots of
cycling guides there including "Cycle routes around Birmingham". Looks like
just the thing you need.

Now then Selway, why couldn't _you_ tell him that? ;-)


Push Bikes (why not join them ?) also have free cycle route guides:

http://www.pushbikes.freeserve.co.uk -- About Us -- Shop
|
V
freebies

Haynes (car repair manual ppl) have a London Cycle Guide book and
their Birmingham version's due out June-ish.
--
Comm again, Mike.